Monday, May 28, 2012

Surprise!! We made it through the fifth week. Here are some highlights:

Sweet girl.

The best part about this week was:

Sleeping 7 hours straight. More than once.

Some things we've learned:

God sent her at just the right time!

She generates more dirty laundry than her father.

Some things we've learned the hard way:

Don't try to give her a bath without Ben being home.

Putting her in her crib and letting her cry works--she sleeps better doing this rather than getting her to fall asleep in our arms and trying to transplant her to her crib, only to have her wake up and doing it 5 times more.

Olivia loves:

Car rides

Reading

Looking at the trees

Music

Olivia surprised us when:

The sleep factor was a big surprise this week--she is settling into her routine very nicely!

We have gotten our money's worth out of this $120 Habitat ReStore couch over the past 5 weeks.

Friday, May 25, 2012

We met more than several years ago at my Aunt's famed New Year's Day breakfast. You were sitting on a table off to the side. My sister PT noticed you too (Is it weird that I blog about food as if it could hear me? Oh well.) and to this day, we still talk about you, specifically your cream cheese portion.

I'd like to introduce you to...

The Panera Pastry Ring.

I was rude and didn't make introductions before it was half-eaten.

Sorry.

Go get you one! They are $7.99. I don't like to share but usually, sharing this thing is a good idea.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

I will show you the canning process soon! I took these photos LAST SUMMER when I got the inkling to start blogging. Yeah, it took me awhile to get started...but when my garden starts spitting out tomatoes, I will get to canning and share all the secrets :)

You didn't realize it, but thanks Carissa for reminding me about posting the salsa!

I love the grocery store. If it had of been up to me, we would have gotten married in Publix and moved over to the Costco food court for the reception. HUGE parking lots, multi-stall bathrooms, great lighting, water fountains. The sample stations would have really classed things up a notch. Need I go on?

I'd also venture to say that one of the toughest parts of the first few weeks of baby is not being able to peruse through the supermarket at my preferred pace of 6 aisles per hour. Now I've got to---gasp---"get in, and get out".

Reveling in my passion for shiny metal shopping carts, coupled with the fact that I coupon, means that my pantry rivals a nicely sized jiffy mart. Our friend Luke calls it the Apocalypse Now Pantry. He rarely exaggerates. This picture really does NOT do it justice.

Let me remind you that until 4 weeks ago, there were just two of us plus a dog living in this house. Let's not even talk about the freezer. And even now, the additional human only eats byproducts of things from the pantry.

All of these aforementioned things are okay, until you add in my ugly and greedy heart. Our church was doing one of those food drives, where you fill up a grocery bag and bring it back the next week. I love these things, in theory, until I come home and have to face my pantry shelves. For some reason, I only want to part with the expired, gross, and half-eaten. When I can get all of these things for free, I validate taking them off the shelf because I am going to donate them.

Yeah. Right.

This particular instance, everything on the "desperately needed" list was accounted for, at least once, within my pantry. The peanut butter, for example, was a particular struggle. Remember this? Yeah, not too long ago I had picked up 10 (T-E-N) jars of peanut butter for pennies on the dollar. Yet I couldn't stop convincing myself that I would need those before another sale cycle returned.

How ridiculous is this? Do the Duggars even use 10 jars of peanut butter in a month?

I will spare you all of the embarrassing thoughts that ran through my mind that afternoon. Just know things got ugly. What went down: there was some eye closing, some random grabbing, some stuffing of things in the bag, and with still diverted eyes, I tossed the bag into the car and took it to church that same night. What is wrong with me?!?!!? How could I possibly be so blessed, but still hold onto GROCERIES like we are on rations.

I'll tell you why. Because I am selfish. The opposite of selfless. And this isn't the first time I have contorted my fist so tightly around things I have no business hoarding. I can be so wrecklessly greedy, but what would happen if the opposite was true? What if I would truly give someone the shirt off my back? My favorite shirt, the only shirt in my entire closet that fits me appropriately at this time in my life? It is easy to give out of the Goodwill pile. But spend our $30 shared monthly clothing budget on someone else? Not so much.

What would God have me do? I don't know, but He has my attention. I have started reading through Jen Hatmaker's book, 7. It is so challenging to think about what life would be like without greed. Do I have faith enough to believe that God will provide?

Ya'll, read this:

"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."

Friday, May 18, 2012

Watching Ben become a dad is something that started before she even arrived. Characteristics of fatherhood were evident before we were married, as silly as it sounds, through watching his "relationship" with Hank! I knew he would be protective, practical, and Mr. Safety. Which I am thankful for, because if Ben is Mr. Safety, I am Mrs. Walkingdisaster.

(Flashback: AOL Screenname from 9th grade alert.)

Marriage changes, in a good great way. It becomes more raw, more complex, and less about us. Our relationship focuses so much on maintaining itself, thus uplifting our little girl and painting her into the picture of love that God has designed for her. These things are not automatic. If anything, from what we've heard, having a child seems to corrode husband and wife relationships if you aren't super intentional about making marriage a priority.

One hour new.

Olivia's first visit to the Pediatrician.

Airing our her cord stump during naptime. GAG.

I did a jig when that thing fell off during a middle of the night diaper change.

Because of some good advise from wise friends,

we are learning how to incorporate her into our lives,

rather than wrap our lives around hers.

Fatherhood looks good on my Ben.

Watching Jeopardy together.

Olivia loves to hold his hand.

I am so amazed at the way he loves little O. It is the most unselfish, giving, careful yet all-out kind of love. Last night she was unwilling to settle down and go to sleep, I could sense his frustration but he refused to give up on her.

Kind of like the way our Father loves us.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

I used to have a fear of Greek food. My dear husband introduced me to our now favorite restaurant, Continental Corner when we were first dating, and I have never looked back. I don't know what it is about certain cultural foodgroups (aka Indian Food) that still terrifies me, I think I need to go and try it with someone who is experienced and willing to point me away from the spicy stuff.

All of that to say, we couldn't possibly miss the Greek Festival, regardless of the pending downpour not so friendly skies, well really the pending downpour plus three week old, pending downpour, plus three week old, plus Mothers Day. Confused? So am I. Let's move on.

I went to the Charlotte Greek Festival with my college BFF, Aimee, way too many years ago. I had a chicken pita, which I distinctly remember to this day. I also recall gaggles of people and really fantastic Greek dancers. The Charleston Greek Festival is a bit smaller-scaled, but all of the essentials are accounted for nonetheless.

First of all, those of you with kids know that when traveling, they require a literal caravan of things to make life "easier". Ben is Mr. Efficiency Packer. This does not please him.

As we got off the shuttle, a very nice lady handed me these two tickets! Mothers get in free on Mothers Day, so we passed on the other ticket to Ben's dad when he arrived. An extra three bucks saved for more Greek Food? Score! OPA!

After his parents arrived, we got right down to business. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the Gyro and fries. Probably not very Greek-like, but whatever.

How you doin' Baklava Sundae? Don't let the two spoons fool you, I didn't share much. Ben's dad ate a measly two bites and I devoured the rest. Oops. OPA!

Enter Greek pastries. Eat Greek pastries. Actually, I was too stuffed to go there, but I hear they were remarkable.

Finish it off with a really terrible picture of the Greek dancers, and a little baby oogling, and we packed up and headed home to try to beat the rain.

Which made for one tired set of parents, and one wide awake child. OPA!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

You were tiny, smaller than a fingernail, and you took some getting used to.

But we loved you already.

Mommy turned 25, and soon we thought it would be a good time to share our happy news!

We had fun telling our families and some friends that you were coming,

and we think they were very surprised too!

After our trip to Disney World, you were 14 weeks old,

and we revealed to the rest of the world that you were just 26 weeks away (or 28...ha!).

While celebrating Thanksgiving in Minot with your Aunt, Uncle, and cousins,

we found out you were going to have another Scott cousin!

After we got home, we celebrated your big gender reveal at the first party in your honor!

"Mustache or Bow, soon we will know!"

We were so excited to find out you were a girl,

and Daddy and Mommy were right--we thought you were a girl all along!

Here is your picture when you were 21 weeks old.

On December 10, Daddy and Mommy had our first wedding anniversary.

You grew and grew and grew.

And the Midwife told Mommy that she needed to eat salads everyday.

Your big brother Hank started to realize something was different,

and he started to do bad things to get attention.

Don't ever let him talk you into this...

But then he would feel sorry for what he did,

and come lay on Mommy's belly and listen for your heartbeat.

Pretty soon, it was time for Mommy to take her glucose test, to be sure that you weren't getting too much sugar from her salads...We had to go back for round two of tests, but we passed by the skin of our teeth! We were so happy to know that we would definitely be having you at the Birth Center, as long as you stayed put until 37 weeks.

Daddy started building your nursery things, and Mommy began to gather other details.

Some of your Aunts and Grampy painted your nursery one Saturday.

You were filling up Mommy's belly very quickly,

and we thought you were ready to come out to meet us!

But you stayed inside and gave us lots of time to spend together.

You can see how big you were in the shadow on the sand!

But before we knew it, you were here. One day soon I will write all about your birthday!

But today, we are so happy to celebrate our first Mother's Day together.

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About Me

We are two newlyweds who were married on December 10, 2010 in the city where we met, Charleston, SC. We live in a little bungalowcottagehouse with our black lab, Hank, and our baby on the way, Olivia. We are enjoying life one day at a time, living out God's beautiful plan for our family!